


Hogwarts: It's a Long Story

by earl_grey_orange_tabby



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Eventual Romances, Harry Potter AU, Hogwarts AU, Reposted from FF.net, fun little au that i enjoy writing, mysterious side plots and snippets, won't just be the canon ones immediately
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23023132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earl_grey_orange_tabby/pseuds/earl_grey_orange_tabby
Summary: The team are regular Hogwarts students trying to experience normal Hogwarts life while being a part of one of the most terrifying eras in Wizarding history: the rise of the Dark Lord. Will they be able to go through their first year? Will they win their Quidditch season? Most harrowingly of all, will Wally ever stop eating from the refillable bowls in the Great Hall? Read on to find out!
Relationships: Artemis Crock/Wally West, Other Pairings As Well - Relationship, but they're a secret :)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	1. Seating Arrangements

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'alls! This is an Au that i've really liked working on, even if it didn't really pick up speed on ff.net. I genuinely really enjoy writing this, for no reason other than my love of hogwarts and love of yj combined in one glorious mish-mash. I hope everyone loves it as much as i do, but if you don't please tell me what i can do to make it better/more enjoyable. Have fun!

“All aboard the Hogwarts express!”

Artemis groaned and looked at her mom, piteously -but silently- asking her for a way out. Her mother, no stranger to her thoughts on this  _ dilemma _ , caught her eye and proceeded to reprimand her. 

“Artemis-,” she began. Artemis just stopped pushing her trolley and faced her mother, Paula. 

Artemis immediately launched into her plea, “But Moooom, I really can’t do this. It’s only been a year since Jade  _ deserted _ . Everyone’s already formed their opinions about me, and I’m gonna be friendless, and all the teachers are going to hate me, and they’re going to fail me, and then I’ll never get a job, and then you’ll stop loving me and I’ll have to live with Dad. Please, Mom, just homeschool me!”

Paula shot her daughter a disapproving look, and curtly responded, “Artemis, I only have three responses to that. One: I’ll never stop loving you, and you have to understand that people have their opinions, but you’ll just have to prove them wrong.” At this, Paula gave Artemis a squeeze on her cheek. “Two: there is no such thing as a magical homeschooling, as you very well know. And three: you’re going to be late”. 

Artemis just sighed and grabbed her trolley handles again, facing the wall between Platforms 9 and 10. She knew that her mother could not be seen inside Platform 9 and ¾, so this was the last goodbye. She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek, said goodbye, and walked briskly into the wall. 

As soon as Artemis stepped inside, she quickly grew overwhelmed by the sight she saw. 

All around her was what must have been hundreds of families, tearfully wishing their children goodbyes and helping them onto the train. Some students were greeting old friends, others were greeting younger, new family members, and yet others were making new friends. All around her was an atmosphere of welcoming, and family, and togetherness. 

She definitely did not belong here. 

* * *

After some great difficulty, a plethora of hateful stares and pointing, and a show of strength, Artemis had finally gotten her trolley onto the train, with no help. She trudged down to try to find an empty compartment, but couldn’t find any. 

Once her options had been worn down, and she had gone up and down the train twice, Artemis had resigned to asking the kids in the compartments if she could sit in them. She either received a curt “There’s not enough room/ we’re still waiting for someone” (even if it wasn’t true), or a nasty remark. She wasn’t willing to go into a Slytherin compartment because she worried she would find her sister, and she really wasn’t into becoming a blood purist.

The train conductor called ten minutes until departure, and Artemis just quickly scurried into a compartment that seemed not filled, and sat down, not making eye contact. 

Once she finally looked up, she was being stared at by six pairs of eyes, each one displaying a different emotion. 

After a few seconds of awkward silence, the smallest one in the car, a black-haired kid that looked about nine (which was impossible because the starting age for Hogwarts was eleven, so he definitely couldn’t have been less than that) broke the tension and said,

“You’re Artemis Crock, right?”

Artemis, suddenly full of dread, nodded and silently cursed the universe for not putting her in a compartment full of oblivious Muggle-borns. And the more she looked around the compartment, the worse it got. 

The kid who had just spoken was Richard Grayson, the adopted son of Bruce Wayne, a prominent billionaire involved with many influential people, and not the sort of influential people that she knew her dad  _ conspired _ with. 

There was Wally West, the nephew of distinguished scientist and potion-maker Barry Allen, awarded many medals of honor and awards of valor, who had contributed heavily to the fight against the Dark Lord. 

Megan Morse was the niece of renowned Legilimens and Occlumens Jon Johns, a man who had been in the minds of nearly every Death Eater, Imperius-ed person, and, most importantly to Artemis, inside the minds of her father and mother. 

Conner Kent, screwed-up mixture of Lex Luthor, an admittedly evil man, heavily involved with the Dark Lord. But most importantly, Connor was a mixture involving Clark Kent, an influential journalist who was the head of a newspaper that both ran normal stories and also ran hidden stories for those who were fighting the Dark Lord. 

Kaldur Ahm, biological son of David Hyde, a murderer who had killed his wife and then fled without his son. He was also the adopted son of Arthur and Mera, the illustrious couple that ran the maritime foreign policy committee, making them very significant in both foreign and governmental affairs.

Zatanna Zatarra, daughter of Giovanni Zatarra, very possibly one of the strongest, most brilliant wizards of their century. The one who was rumored to have the capability of taking down the Dark Lord. 

Each of their famous relatives were part of a group of Hogwarts alumni gunning for the Dark Lord, a group called the Justice League. 

And the reason she knew all their names: she had been trained to kill every single one of the children in front of her. 


	2. Arrived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2nd chapter!

Artemis had to clear her throat and dumbly ask for a repeat of the question Dick Grayson had asked. 

He repeated, “That’s your name, right? Artemis Crock? Or do I have you mistaken?”

“Kind of hard to mistake me, isn’t it?”, she chuckled darkly and continued, affirming his identification, “Yeah, I’m Artemis Crock.”

The rest of the children in the compartment looked at each other a little warily. Just like how Artemis knew about them, they all knew about her. 

Nevertheless, and this Artemis had to give them credit for, they all introduced themselves and said hello. Artemis was, frankly, a little shocked by how they were ignoring the elephant in the room, but she was still grateful. Quickly becoming carried away with her thoughts, Artemis began to think about having a normal life and becoming friends with the group in front of her and going to Quidditch games and…

Her hopes were quickly, swiftly, and cruelly crushed by Wally West opening his mouth. As she would soon realize, this was going to be a common occurrence. 

He, narrowing his eyes in Artemis’ direction, sneered, “So, Crock is your last name, right? Any relation to, like, Crusher Crock? Or maybe Huntress Crock? Or, hmm, how about Jade Crock? We know Jade, right, Dick? She tried to hex Roy last year, remember?”

Amid a few “Wally!”’s and head shaking, Artemis just simply replied, “Yes, that’s my mother, father, and sister.”

But, before Wally could go back to his interrogation, Artemis interrupted him and addressed the rest of the small compartment, “But I’m not like the rest of my family. I’m- I’m not evil,”. Before continuing, Artemis had to take a breath, “I have no intention of harming anyone at Hogwarts. I’m escaping my dad’s legacy.” At her next words, she looked down again, and sighed, “And that article was completely untrue.”

The next person to speak surprised her. 

Kaldur Ahm smiled sadly and reassured, “Do not worry, Artemis. It is not easy to escape a parent’s shadow. But rest assured, we”, he looked at Wally expectantly, “will not judge you for the actions of those who raised you.”

Dick, Megan, Conner, and Zatanna all nodded at Kaldur. And Artemis smiled hesitantly at the rest of the group, pointedly ignoring Wally’s glare.

The compartment continued happily talking about whatever eleven year old wizards and witches usually spoke about. Megan wanted to ask Artemis about how she got her hair that particular shade of blond, then subsequently testing out the color in her own hair (revealing herself as a Metamorphagi). Dick wanted to let everyone know that he had been practicing to be a Seeker over the summer so he would be ready for the team tryouts in a few weeks. Even Wally informed the rest of the group about the seminar he had attended with his uncle a few weeks before about science in the magic world. 

Artemis was content. She was still cautious, and still reeling from Wally’s questioning. But maybe this little group would be a nice change from the kind of company her father kept, and the solitary that her mother stayed in. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a kind old woman’s voice coming from the open doors at the door of the compartment. “Anything from the trolley, dears?”

Wally, who stared at the goodies on the trolley as one would upon finding the eighth wonder of the world, immediately jumped to his feet and grabbed some pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs, and fished out grubby money from his pocket to pay for it. Upon a last minute thought, he grabbed a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. 

Zatanna, suddenly very exuberant, blurted out, “Oh my goodness! Bertie Botts! I’ve never tried those before!”

And the little compartment stopped dead. They each looked at Zatanna with looks of shock on their faces. 

“Zatanna, I come from a family of evil magic villains,” Artemis said, choosing her words carefully, “and even I’ve had Bertie Botts.”

Conner snorted (and this was when Artemis noticed how silent he’d been, barely saying a word after introducing himself), and stood up to face the trolley. He took out his wallet and said, “I’ll take two bags of Bertie Bott’s Beans please.”

* * *

After the group had watched Wally eat his pumpkin pasties for a while, tried some beans to varying degrees of dislike (while Artemis didn’t really  _ enjoy _ her grass-flavored jelly beans, she still had more sympathy for Conner, who had gotten a vomit-flavored one, to which Dick had started a round of gagging), they just talked for a little while.

Suddenly, a prefect from Ravenclaw house (judging by the blue tie), knocked on their door, and let the students know that they were nearing Hogwarts, so they should get dressed in their robes. 

After a minor scandal in which Megan had almost taken off her shirt, but was stopped by the shrieks of the other two girls in the compartment, and was informed that the robe went  _ over _ her clothes, the eleven year olds were all nervously squirming in their seats. They were all so anxious for the events that were coming that they stayed silent, barely making a sound for the next 20 minutes as they waited to pull in to Hogsmeade Station. 

As soon as the train whistled their arrival, each child went to grab their luggage and trolley articles, and Dick was the first outside of their compartment, rushing into the corridor of the train and pulling Wally (who seemed to be his best friend), into the fray with him. 

The rest of their group caught up quick, and Artemis hung back with Connor and Kaldur. They seemed to be the most mature ones in the group, and she wanted to tread carefully and safely in this new environment that she was in. Especially since that newspaper article had just gone out a little while ago, so it was still fresh in everyone’s mind, making her a very likely target for hexes and trick spells. They also seemed to be the tallest in the group, hiding her from view.

Kaldur noticed, and gave Artemis a reassuring smile, while asking, “Are you ready?”

Artemis just sighed and replied, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

* * *

After getting escorted onto the boats, Artemis rowed silently, contemplating the dilemma that was coming up very soon. She was sharing a boat with Dick and Wally, who were having no such introspective thoughts.

Artemis was thinking about which house she would be sorted into. Of course, her entire family had gone to Slytherin, but she was trying to pave a new path for herself. Wally and Dick both, coincidentally, had family in every house but Slytherin. They both really liked Gryffindor, though, seeing as they had an older friend named Roy (the one who had been attacked by her sister) who was in Gryffindor. 

Despite being a short ride, it was an eventful one, with a girl with two pink ponytails (who was definitely going to be a Slytherin) pushing a kid into the lake, and Kaldur displaying some accidental magic when he dipped his hands into the lake and made a gorgeous display of spirals in the water. 

The first years finally all made it to the dock, and were then escorted to the doors of the Great Hall by one fifth-year prefect from each house. They made a big show of puffing their chests so their colored ties were visible, and talking (nay,  _ bragging _ ) about when they were sorted. Artemis, frankly had little patience for each of them, and kept silent, worrying about her sorting. 

She was afraid of disappointing her family, and having to face her father if she wasn’t a Slytherin. On the other hand, she knew that Slytherin was a very dark house to be in. One statement that was commonly uttered by those fearful of Slytherin was, “Not all Slytherins are bad guys, but all bad guys are Slytherins.” And, listening to her new friends talk, none of them wanted to be sorted into Slytherin either. Of course, nobody said it  _ outright,  _ but the thought was definitely implied. 

A wave of confusion coming off the other students quickly dragged Artemis out of her stupor, and she directed her attention to a black bird that had glided in and landed on the ground right in front of the Great Hall. 

It was definitely an enigma, because most of the time, animals and unwanted insects were usually kept from coming into Hogwarts. But this little bird had just waltzed in, staring at the students, probing them.

It didn’t take long for a rough-looking set of twins to get their hands on rubber bands and aim to hit the bird. Despite hearing the complaints and pleas from the other students, they both aimed their bands at the bird and fired. 

And as the rubber bands neared, the bird suddenly morphed, shifting its wings back into its back and growing taller and more humanlike. And instead of a bird, there was a blond woman with bright red lipstick holding two rubber bands. 

Silence fell upon the group of first years, and the woman began to speak,

“I am Professor Dinah Lance, head of Gryffindor house. I’m also the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. What  _ that _ means, is that no matter what house you’ll be sorted into today, you will be seeing a lot of me around these halls.”

And at this, she looked over at the blond twins and lifted her nose up, “So I’d be a little more choosey about who in particular you’re shooting rubber bands at.” 

Then, she turned and faced the rest of the first years, “Now, let the Sorting begin!” 


	3. Out of Sorts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm updating this a bit late. Things have been kinda crazy with everything going on and with all the homework I had this past week, but I'm going on Spring Break next week! So I'll definitely be able to keep myself on track with this story and catch up on my outline. I'm also changing the update date from Thursdays to Fridays. Anyways, without further ado, enjoy chapter 3!

Professor Lance began to explain the tenets of each House (which was most likely for the benefit of the Muggleborns, since most of the pure- and half-blooded children were already aware of the Houses’ reputations) and talked a little about what would happen in a few minutes. 

The skittish children were all but jumping off the walls at this point. The anticipation was getting to each of them! Some children were undoubtedly in the same position as Artemis, and some were as blissfully ignorant as one could be. 

Just when it seemed like Professor Lance was about to open the doors to the Great Hall, she called out, “Oh, I've almost forgotten. Artemis Crock, may I speak to you please?”

Every single one of the burning pairs of eyes that were once fixed with anticipation on the Great Hall doors suddenly swiveled in the way that only judgemental children can, and they all began to stare at Artemis. She felt her face get red and warm, but walked up to Professor Lance, who ushered her to the side, to speak privately. 

When she got there, Artemis noticed a few things: the beautiful necklace around her neck that had a charm of a bird on it, Professor Lance’s lilting perfume that made her smell like vanilla, and the stern, but not mean look on her face. 

Lance took one look at Artemis and immediately told her, “Calm down, sweetie, you’re not in trouble.” At this, Artemis’ heart stopped its rapid pounding, “I simply wanted to let you know that all our staff understands about the article that was sent out in the Prophet the other day. We understand from our own sources, that those pieces of information are untrue, and we’ve sent out other notices in other newspapers saying to disregard that article. I also understand, however, that children can be cruel, so if anyone attempts to harm or abuse you, please know that you can tell your Head of House, when Sorted, or any member of the staff your issues.”

Artemis could almost feel tears welling at the corners of her eyes. She had to compose herself as she could feel her fears of her teachers failing her dissipating quickly. 

Artemis responded to Lance as soon as she could, “Thank you, Professor Lance. That means a lot to me.” The woman smiled and ushered Artemis back to the rest of the first-years, and she ran to join her new friends. 

They looked at her curiously, but Professor Lance swiftly interrupted any attempt at conversation with her booming voice, “Welcome to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! May the sorting commence.”

The professor swung open the grand doors, helped on the inside by two wizards. It opened onto probably the most beautiful scene Artemis had seen in her life. 

It was a grand dining hall, with a seemingly open roof, and hundreds of floating candles dangling above their heads. The tables that were draped with tablecloths the colors of the respective houses were enormously long. The walk to where the old, raggedy Sorting Hat was seemed an almost impossible distance to make with Artemis’ shaking legs. On every side, there was a roar of enthusiastic students trying to predict which students would be placed in their houses. Some pointed at first-years, knowing them from somewhere. Some pointed at Artemis and sneered. The cheering and noises lasted for the entire walk up to the Sorting Hat. 

After the students had quieted down considerably, the Sorting Hat began to speak (which startled  _ quite _ a few Muggleborns) and it spun a tale of the year that was to come. It was a melting pot of good, bad, pleasant, and unpleasant. But Artemis was sure that the one to control her own destiny was definitely not a worn piece of headwear. 

Finally it was time for sorting, and the first name called out by Professor Lance was, “Ahm, Kaldur!”

There was an anticipatory silence as Kaldur smoothly walked up to sit on the three-legged stool, and Professor Lance dropped it on his head. The Hat hesitated for a few seconds, then struck up a conversation, which Artemis was  _ not  _ expecting it to do. 

“Such brains and thirst for knowledge,” the Sorting Hat began, “but also, a knowledge of when to fight for what is right. It is up to the wearer to distinguish between which is more important to them. Do you want to fight for what’s moral, or discover what moral is for yourself?”

After a few seconds of Kaldur nodding to himself, the Sorting Hat spoke, “Jolly good then, GRYFFINDOR!” 

The Gryffindors erupted in applause and cheers, as Kaldur, grinning, gave the hat back to Lance, and walked over to the Gryffindors, who welcomed him with open, happy arms. 

Then, a few more names were called, including a girl with remarkably pink hair named Kori, who was, with much deliberation, sorted into Hufflepuff. She caught Artemis’ eye and, perfectly encompassing what she had just been sorted into, gave her a small smile, which Artemis returned.

Finally, it was Artemis’ turn. When she heard her name called, her knees turned to jelly. Only sheer willpower propelled her legs forward to the stool. While she walked forward, she could hear a ton of whispers, all talking about her and that  _ damn _ article. She wanted to yell (at them, at herself, in frustration) but she knew that would make a worse impression. 

She could not have been more terrified. This one article of clothing, piece of sown-together, beaten up fabric would determine how she would proceed in life. It would either grant her freedom or lock the cage doors of her father’s legacy. 

Artemis had had time to think, though, and after hearing everything from everyone, she was able to form an opinion that wasn’t informed by biased, malicious opinions. 

Slytherin was a no for obvious reasons. 

Ravenclaw was an option, considering that she was very skilled at a few spells (most of which were Dark Magic spells)

Professor Lance smiled at Artemis, who shuffled nervously (blood rushing in her ears, heart pounding wildly, sweat beading her neck) into the seat, and put the Sorting Hat on the girl’s head. 

Immediately, Artemis could hear the Hat’s voice. “Ohhh, I know where I want to put you.”

Of course, Artemis began to fear the worst. The dumb hat knew how good she was at Dark Magic, it knew that she had trained for years to play the part of the good Slytherin daughter. Artemis began to open her mouth, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, wanting to speak to the animate object who would determine her life.

But alas, the Sorting Hat cut her off before she could say anything, with the word, “GRYFFINDOR!”, pouring out of its mouth. 

Artemis started smiling like crazy, taking off the Hat and handing it to Lance, who smiled wordlessly at her, and practically skipped to the Gryffindor table. She immediately sat in front of Kaldur and next to this red haired teen who sent her a quick scowl. She ignored him (not letting anyone ruin what she dubbed ‘the day she escaped the legacy of her father’) and ignored Jade who was glaring daggers at her from the Great Hall. 

She watched her House grow in size. She watched a tall, physically imposing, rugby-player looking kid join their ranks named Mal (he quickly betrayed his outward appearance by practically skipping down to the Gryffindor table). She was next to (the red haired teenager who she learned was  _ the  _ Roy Harper moved to another seat) a smart red-haired girl named Barbara, seated in a wheelchair, who was very fun to talk to. 

Then came Richard Grayson. Barbara seated next to her leaned over and told Artemis, “Dick’s my childhood bestie. I couldn’t find him on the train to say hi, and I had to get alternate transport across the lake, so I hope he gets sorted into Gryffindor.” 

Artemis nodded, and responded, “I guess I found him for you, he was in my and Kaldur’s train compartment with Wally, Megan, Conner, and Zatanna. He definitely mentioned you.”

Barbara blushed, and the two girls focused back on Dick’s Sorting. 

Dick Grayson, who Artemis learned on the train ride was a very rare magical prodigy who had been accepted a year earlier (so he was ten), looked probably the most confident out of all the first-years. He knew what qualities he valued, and he knew which House they corresponded to. 

The boy strode up the stairs confidently and sat on the stool, hands clasped in his lap patiently. 

The hat made a face that Artemis could only describe as recognition. It began to speak, 

“Richard Grayson, you are exactly as your father was.” Dick noticeably faltered, seemingly thinking of his biological dad, who Artemis knew to be a Muggle, “No, the adopted one. You have the lucky chance to be able to see what one House’s end result was. Will you stay in his footsteps? 

Dick nodded, almost solemnly, but with the hint of a grin on his face, and the Sorting Hat declared him GRYFFINDOR.

He gently handed the Sorting Hat to Professor Lance, and then ran over to the Gryffindor table amid cheers to give Barbara a huge hug. Then, he sat down next to her, and smiled at Artemis who grinned back. 

A few more children were sorted. Gordon Gizmo, a short, pudgy boy was sorted into Slytherin. Lucy Jinks, the girl with the pink pigtails who had shoved someone into the lake, was unsurprisingly also sorted into Slytherin. 

Then from Artemis’ compartment group, there was Conner Kent, who, Artemis had suspected, would have a relatively normal sorting: short and with little words said. 

And, to her surprise, the Sorting Hat agreed slightly with her, but then took it in a whole new direction. It rumbled, “This should be an easy choice, but I feel a darkness within. Something that could hurt or help you on your way to heroism. This is your choice, Conner Kent, not mine. But I know which House would help you finetune this darkness the most. “

Connerr made an almost disgusted face, clearly rebelling against whatever choice the Sorting Hat had favored, probably Slytherin. Artemis wondered how bad the  _ darkness _ in him was that the Sorting Hat needed to mention Slytherin to Conner. It continued, “So that’s a no… alright then- GRYFFINDOR!”

A few more first-years came in between: Cameron Mahkent, who Artemis was  _ very _ familiar with, sent her a wink, to which she scowled at; Garfield Logan: a child who, astoundingly, had green skin, which quickly vanished away into a neutral skin tone after he caught everyone staring at him. Megan, kept occupied in the crowd of first-years, seemed obviously delighted to have another Metamorphagi in her year, even if said Metamorphagi was sorted into Hufflepuff. 

Next came Megan, who daintily sat down in the seat, crossing her legs as the Sorting Hat gave an almost smile and stated, “How refreshing it is to know that a fighter can value life so much.”

Megan smiled happily as the hat bellowed, “GRYFFINDOR!”

At this point, the cries and cheers had dulled a little, as the rest of the Hogwarts students had begun to grow a little tired, but nevertheless, they kept going, screaming and cheering when a student had been placed in their Houses.

Even Artemis marveled at how long she had been able to cheer, with her voice becoming a little more hoarse after each new student was sorted. 

To cut it short, the only memorable ones in between Megan and Wally were: Rachel Roth, who had curious gray skin but wasn’t a Metamorphagi, who was sorted into Ravenclaw; Victor Stone, who must’ve been the tallest first-year among all of them, was sorted into Gryffindor. The blond twins that attempted to pelt rubber bands at Professor Lance were Tommy and Tuppence Terror (fitting last name), and they were sorted into Slytherin immediately. 

Then, Wally went up. His carefree, joking nature was pretty much gone at this point, and he had his fingers crossed as he went up to the Sorting Hat. 

Artemis felt a flutter in her chest (which was  _ very  _ unwelcome) and found herself hoping that Wally would get sorted into Gryffindor. She fended off that thought though, and attempted to convince herself that it was just because she didn’t want him to be separated from his friends. 

Wally sat himself down and closed his eyes as Professor Lance put the Sorting Hat on Wally’s head. 

The Hat  _ hmmm _ ’ed and said, “I understand now why you and Richard Grayson are friends. You share the same dilemma. Such a clever, creative mind? Will you squander it? Or could you use it in other pursuits?” 

Wally smiled widely and said out loud (which he should’ve been embarrassed about, in Artemis’ opinion because it was pretty weird), “I’ll take Gryffindor.” “GRYFFINDOR!”

He ran over to Dick, sitting next to him, and giving him a high-five. 

After a few more sortings (Twins Joseph and Rose Wilson: Hufflepuff and Slytherin in that order, a blond American named Courtney Whitmore who, according to rumors, had moved with her family to Europe, and then enrolled in Hogwarts: Ravenclaw)

Finally, there was Zatanna, who, as soon as the Sorting Hat touched her head, it roared, “GRYFFINDOR!” and she bounded over to where Artemis was and sat next to her.

The two grinned at each other, and then turned to face the staff table as each of the teachers rose to welcome Giovanni Zatarra, the man fated to defeat the Dark Lord. 

Who was also, coincidentally, the Hogwarts headmaster. Guess Zatanna had forgotten to mention that little tidbit. 

Professor Zatarra tapped his throat with his wand and spoke with a distinct Italian accent, “Sonorus.”

Then, he boomed, “Good evening ladies and gentlemen! To our returning students: welcome back! To our new first-years, welcome to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Our motto: Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus!”


	4. Home Sweet Home

“I am Headmaster Zatarra. The previous headmaster, Kent Nelson, retired this year, and I have taken over his post. 

I have only to inform you of a few new developments and information before we indulge in our Start-of-Term feast. 

Firstly, Quidditch tryouts for each House will be held in two weeks. Each House will have their tryout time and location posted in their Common room. 

Second, as we all know, there have been rumors of Dark Magic activity within the Wizarding Community. I’d ask for all of you to please remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity.”

At this, the students looked at each other warily, and Artemis sensed a few unpleasant glares sent her way. 

“Finally, a warning: the Forbidden Forest is strictly out-of-bounds for all students. We cannot afford for any students to be injured unnecessarily. “

After he finished reading from the scroll in front of him, Professor Zatarra exclaimed, “Now that that’s all settled, enjoy the feast!”

The first-years, pretty bored by the speech already, were delighted when food suddenly popped up on the tables. 

Hogwarts was famished, especially the first years who had just gotten sorted and were emotionally and mentally drained; Artemis couldn’t blame them, she was feeling exactly the same way herself. 

They dug in, each House making conversation, and each student enjoying the delicacies piled upon the table. Roast chicken. Lamb chops. Mashed potatoes. 

Wally, with a face that looked like he was about to cry, just said, “I love Hogwarts.” And dug in. Artemis shot him a look of disgust, then turned to her right, where Zatanna was sitting, and struck up a conversation with her. 

“So, you never said your dad was headmaster.”

Zatanna just smiled sheepishly and said, “I thought it might scare you off. Besides, this is his first year, so he’s not going to be as experienced or scary as Headmaster Nelson was.”

At this, Wally butted into their conversation, his mouth stuffed with shepherd’s pie (To her left, Artemis heard Megan stifle a groan at his antics). He emphatically said, “Headmaster Nelson was actually really nice. I met him when I went with my uncle to a Potions and Paleontology meeting.”

Artemis snapped back, “And?” As soon as she said it, though, she immediately felt guilty at the looks Wally and Zatanna gave her. She wondered why, seeing as she’d never felt bad about quipping before. All of her old, evil friends actually liked insulting each other. She’d have to file it away under “things not okay to do with morally correct non-Slytherins”.

While she’d been thinking, the group had delved into a new topic of conversation: Quidditch. 

Actually, scratch that, this wasn’t a new topic of conversation. Quidditch had been talked about at least twice since Artemis had walked into their compartment. Artemis definitely understood where the excitement was coming from, though. Quidditch was really important to her family as well. 

The children were talking about their favorite teams (“what are you talking about, dude? The Lantern Corp. absolutely sucks; Infinity Inc. is the bomb!”) when they were interrupted by Professor Zatarra’s voice booming throughout the Great Hall.

“Now that the feast has ended, I’d like to ask the prefects to please line up your House’s newest additions and escort them to the dormitories. Please be careful and aware of the moving staircases.”

Artemis looked around, wondering who their prefects would be and scowled as soon as she saw who it was. 

Roy Harper and Thea Queen. 

Her sister had already cut her own ties for her. Jade had a nasty habit of picking fights with everyone and everything (rumor has it that she once tried to fight a hippogriff because its “beady eyes were giving me the creeps”) and these two were once her victims. 

Roy had clearly already decided to actively ignore Artemis, but Thea didn’t really seem to be giving her a hard time… yet, anyway. Artemis had grown accustomed to having people dislike her because of their preconceptions, so she wasn’t too worried about having Thea like her. 

The two prefects led the first-year Gryffindors to their dormitory, answering the odd question along the way. They climbed up the stairs, almost leaving behind poor Conner, who got distracted by a painting of a resplendent wolf mother. 

When they finally arrived at the common room, the boys and girls separated and went with their respective prefect. Thea took command of the girls’ group and led them up the stairs to their dorms. 

Along the way, the girls chattered with one another, and Artemis was talking to Megan about something when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, startled, and found herself face-to-face with Thea Queen. 

Artemis had never actually seen the girl up close before, and couldn’t help but juxtapose what Jade had told her and what she actually looked like. She was rather short for a 15-year-old, or at least shorter than what Artemis’ frame of reference was. She had short, wavy brown hair and knobbly knees, and looked, frankly, like an easy target for a bully like Jade. She was skinny and short, and according to Jade, she was “trash at defense spells, like absolute trash”.

But she also held a confident look in her eye that Artemis hadn’t accounted for. She didn’t look like someone who would hold a grudge that didn’t need to be held. 

So, it didn’t surprise Artemis when, instead of casting a hex at her, Thea said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I really hope you’re not like your sister.”

Artemis reassured, “Don’t worry, I’m not.” And when the two girls smiled at each other, Artemis felt another weight lift off her chest.

When she opened the door to the dorms, Artemis was astounded by the sight she saw. She really wasn’t one for home decor, but the perfectly laid out dormitory was a beautiful sight to behold. And it didn’t hurt that the view from the window was amazing.

She eyed all her fellow dorm mates, as they went around the room, ooh-ing and aah-ing at the perfectly laid out beds and chests. Her mom had told her, based on her experience in going to Hogwarts, to avoid procrastination and to organize herself the first night, to avoid an unholy mess like her room was at her house. 

So, Artemis did just that. She put up the poster of her favorite Quidditch team first (Infinity Inc. for the win!) and put her comfort candle and her wand-holding mug on her night stand. Then, she organized all her school supplies for the next day and tucked the ones she needed into a knapsack she’d brought from home. 

She stroked her cat, Orthia, who had been sleeping in a Hogwarts-provided plush bed, and she made a content purring sound from the contact. Realizing that Orthia must’ve been hungry from the travel all day, Artemis sat on her bed and coaxed the caramel-colored cat onto her lap to feed her some treats. 

As she sat caressing the cat’s soft ears, Artemis took the opportunity to regard her new dorm-mates. 

There were the two girls from her compartment, Zatanna and Megan, as well as Babs, from dinner. There was one girl she hadn’t met, a taller, darker-complexioned girl with short hair. She was chatting animatedly with Megan. Artemis wondered how to get her attention, since she wasn’t able to catch her name, but was quickly clued in when she saw the pin-up board with the name “Raquel” on it hanging above her bed. 

She called out, “Hey, is your name Raquel?”

The girl, who she now assumed was Raquel, seeing as she had answered to it, answered sarcastically, “No, I just have her name hanging above my bed.”

Artemis grinned, reveling in the fact that she didn’t have to lose her sarcasm in Gryffindor, now that she had a friend who utilized it too. 

Raquel said, “And you’re Artemis, right?” At that, Artemis nodded, bracing herself for the practically inevitable comment about the article. 

Raquel just continued, “Cool, I heard Professor Lance say your name before we got into the Great Hall. What was that about?”

Artemis paused, stunned that she might’ve encountered the first wizard not to read the newspapers. She was quickly illuminated with the truth when Zatanna mouthed the word “muggleborn” at her. 

Artemis sighed in relief and said, “Oh, nothing, just some family stuff.” Which was technically true. 

After a long while of talking and barely-stifled yawns, the girls unanimously decided to go to bed, all of them eagerly awaiting tomorrow: the first day of class. 

* * *

Artemis woke up with a start, due to the high-pitched shrieking she heard emanating from the Common Room. The shriek had woken up the other girls in the dorm as well, who had already begun reaching for slippers and were in the process of stumbling to the Common Room. 

There they found Dick Grayson and Wally West, clutching each other and dancing around in circles, seemingly oblivious to the fact that their source of happiness had fallen onto the floor. 

Artemis was the first one to get there, snatching the piece of paper from the ground and reading out, “Gryffindor Quidditch Tryouts to be held next week. Due to last year’s team being made up entirely of seventh years, a new team of all-first years will be drafted. Do you have what it takes to become Gryffindor’s newest Quidditch star?”

Artemis was sure that the next round of squeals and shrieks was loud enough to wake up Hogwarts in its entirety. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be updating hopefully every week, on Thursdays, but since a few chapters were already posted on ff.net, I'm posting two chapters today :) Come back next week for more!


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